Elegant 30-second rescue

Advice
#21

Lower Herring was not crowded when we were there. The 4 days of QTC in August I don’t recall a single power boat, other than the pontoon ferry that we used to get our gear from dock to dock (you can’t drive into the camp, have to paddle your boats over). And no lake lice!! (jet-skis, the bane of Michigan waterways.) Seems to be just a medium sized power boat ramp.

Maybe adjacent and larger Upper Herring is the motor boating center. Or we just lucked out (it was a pretty chilly late August last year).

As to driving 100 miles to paddle, that’s par for the course here in the inland empires. You Michiganders are spoiled – Is there anyplace in the state that is NOT 100 miles or less from big water? Just teasing – I am envious of your lake proximity and still miss being 40 minutes from Lake Michigan, but the flat terrain (and ghastly winters) got to me when I tried living up there.

#22

@Rookie said:

In the Schumann article, he writes: “When you slide their kayak back into the water, spin your kayak parallel to it, forming a raft.” Am guessing he means spinning your kayak while using the drained boat as leverage. Can’t be with a paddle as you’d lose contact with the other boat. My recollection in class was moving the other boat in position using its deck lines.

Correct. From the moment you have grabbed the rescuee’s boat for the first time and until the rescuee is fully rescued and ready to move on, you should not ever lose grip in the rescuee’s boat. Always at least one hand on something which has a good grip, so a sudden wave will not pull their boat away from you.

The same goes for self rescues. I see quite experienced paddlers sliding their boat through the water with one hand while the other hand just holds the paddle. But if you slide a boat with one hand, you will completely lose grip when you change hand position.

#23

Rookie
First, on spinning the other boat or you or whichever way you want to think about it… if you are willing to commit a decent portion of your weight to the front of the boat after you have emptied it of water, you can snap it around very quickly to get it parallel to your own boat. This works better from the bow in most boats, but it’ll work from the stern as well. Just spin you and it around in whatever direction is needed to get the bow to stern relationship set up.

This is one reason that I said be able to work from the stern as well, there can be moments when it’ll be the first part of the boat you can grab.

Unless you are in very active water where hanging onto the other boat is itself a real problem, this is way faster than walking around the empty boat on the deck lines. And again with a smaller person will require some commitment of weight., This where working with an empty boat can really help to increase your comfort.

IN GENERAL - as a smaller person you will have to add the part of committing more of your weight to the other boat in manuvers than the guys. It takes some practice to get comfy with it, But it is simple physics - at a lighter weight yourself in a smaller volume boat, there is no other choice. If this has not been part of your coaching so far, add it yourself.

The risk here is not as much that you can’t execute a rescue, but that you aren’t balancing the swimmer’s weight well and you both end up in the water. I’ve had that happen, just once and the disproportion between me and the other was more extreme than if we had both been in sea kayaks. But it was a powerful lesson.

Rex
When my husband and I were paddling we regularly invited people who were new and had no skills beyond paddling and generally staying upright. We did not invite major newbies or anyone unwilling to invest in a dry suit in cold weather, and there were always far more rescue-capable people than anyone new. In fact there was at least one person who did their first ever rescue on one of these trips. I fell out of my boat when we were 100 feet out from our lunch spot and made the new paddler rescue me. They were talked trhu it by others in the group, and when we went out again after lunch we had them fall into the water and talked them in.

They ended up being more capable paddlers, taking training and generally being an asset on the water. Taking them out that first time when they had no idea of how to do anything was the difference.

I repeat - if you are only focused on having fully capable people in a paddle, you are doing nothing to bring newer people into kayaking. It is certainly a choice you can make. And since I am a solo paddler these days, it is a choice I make more frequently simply because of numbers. Without a partner who is also rescue-capable, I have to restrict going out with someone who can’t participate in a rescue because I have seen it take two people to rescue one where things got really out of hand.

There are choices I could make to help someone else enjoy the activity with Jim that I can’t make now. But I am happy that for a long time I was able to make those more generous choices. I met a lot of people that way, a few of whom are companions either on the water or socially years later. One of them is the reason I can go for more interesting paddling when I can connect with her in Maine.

Peter-CA
Yes, we are both right. My concern was that Rex was dimishining the value of Rookie’s quite sensible suggestion. Especially given that as a smaller person she needs to work a little harder to wrangle a sea kayak, Personally I have altered my paddling quite a bit to accommodate being a solo paddler when I am up in Maine, and the helmet is part of my summer so I can practice rolling without a partner. At least it forced me to get a better helmet…

#24

I’m probably going to be flamed for my thoughts, but I can’t help myself. First of all, getting dumped in the conditions depicted in the video is so remote, it’s not worth worrying about. Try that rescue thing in 10 foot waves with the accompanying wind that created those waves. I’m not saying that practice isn’t useful, but the real thing is not going to work that slick if it works at all in the conditions that might get someone in the water.

My highest priority is staying in the boat and not going swimming. In all my years of paddling in water that might get me in trouble, I have never needed to exit the boat and the last thing I would want to do is involve someone else and have them and their boat banging around and having to worry about what the other paddlers might be up to. I have paddled with others maybe twice in really rough conditions and I didn’t like it at all. I’d rather just take care of me and not have to worry about others. The last time I was out with a fellow who I had no idea about his experience, we got separated and I lost sight of him in the waves. He chose a route that my better judgement said was not the way to go. He made it through okay, but I was worried for a bit before he finally showed up. I didn’t like that feeling and I won’t allow myself to be put in that position again.

#25

@Celia said:
@Allan Oleson
Personally I do not disagree. Paddlers who can’t help are only a good idea if they are outnumbered by those who can. And when Jim and I were putting together paddles we had clothing requirements as it got colder as well. Kokatat sold several dry suits because of those rules.

But there are many casual groups that never even think about this. And there are no kayaking police out there saying they can’t get out on the water.

Since I have gotten more mature, I tend to lead groups of rec paddlers / beginners. They may someday develop serious skills, but my goal is to get them started and remain safe. Our group offers classes on more advanced skills when they are ready.

#26

Magooch
There is no reason to be flamed for saying that when conditions get a lot more challenging you don’t want to be out with people who are going to be a major liability. And if anyone is suggesting that is a good idea, I missed it. It is sure as heck not what I said. Common sense is still in play - you don’t take complete beginners out when you know it will be high windy, wavy or into a three knot tidal current…

But the idea that every paddling scenario has to be treated as though it at the highest risk level keeps people off the water, often unnecessarily.

As to rescues in more challenging conditions, that is why people pay the bucks to go to trainings that will find those conditions. But there is no reason to avoid practicing something just because it is calm either - skills is skills and the more time spent working on it, the more likely it is that it will succeed in more difficult conditions.

#27

@magooch said:
I’m probably going to be flamed for my thoughts, but I can’t help myself. First of all, getting dumped in the conditions depicted in the video is so remote, it’s not worth worrying about. Try that rescue thing in 10 foot waves with the accompanying wind that created those waves. I’m not saying that practice isn’t useful, but the real thing is not going to work that slick if it works at all in the conditions that might get someone in the water.

Flamed? Whatever for? I think this community shines because of the varied opinions offered. There’s always something to be learned from differing outlooks.

True, a T-rescue might not work in 10 foot waves. I’ve no idea what would and don’t plan to ever take that test.

“We’re all between swims” seems to be a popular mantra within the paddling community. I don’t know how true that is and like you, my top priority is staying upright…but I’ve had a few close calls because of inattention. I don’t think any paddler is invincible.

I’ll do the practice for a couple of reasons. I enjoy practicing on the water in an environment where I can think about what I’m doing (or should be). I have that here at home. I don’t have the experience that so many do here, so I need the practice and if there’s a paddling technique that’s more efficient, I want to learn it. Could be I’ll never have to help someone get back in their boat, but if I do, at least I won’t be a complete klutz at it.

As to the 30-second video, it may well be the speed is related to water temperature. The Power of Water runs the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. It’s held in July on Lake Superior. The average surface temp of Superior in July is in the mid-50s.

@willowleaf. Yes, we are spoiled up here. No spot in Michigan is more than six miles from a lake, river, or stream or more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes. My commute to Lake Michigan is 25 miles, 15 miles to the third largest inland lake in the state. Downstate is the flatlands; excellent downhill skiing on the hills we do have. But nothing like PA, which is a lovely state. My dad was born in Jenners. Winters sure can be ghastly but it’s a trade-off for the water. 44 days till spring. Sigh.

@Celia
Your description of going over if weight isn’t distributed is a scary thought and I’m trying to envision how it would happen. Only thing I can come up with is the rescuee is so heavy I wind up doing a head plant on his boat before releasing, going over and under. Not a happy scenario.

#28

Rookie
What I am talking about is not whacking your head on the other boat, but not having your own balance solid enough that the weight of the swimmer getting in is too much for you to hold, Especially if they are not fast and well-practiced about it, as they are in this video. The swimmer grabbing you deck line actually reduces the risk for someone smaller. Given that you are already over some to hang onto the boat, if you suddenly lose hold of the other boat there is a pretty good chance you will go in if that support suddently disappears.

If you are over enough to handle a heavy person to start with, it’d be very difficult to do a head plant because your torso and head are already laying on/close to the other boat. I suppose there is ways it could happen, but it shouldn’t be all that possible if you are pretty much across the other boat. How close are you getting to the swimer’s deck?

In my case it was a pool practice where I tried to demonstrate a rescue with the swimmer coming back into a sea kayak via a heel hook and me in my shrimp WW boat (Innazone 22something). Perhaps I should have been at the middle of the other boat to give this a fairer shot, but was in the normal position for a sea kayak rescue. My rescueee had some reservations about whether it would work and he was correct. He had at least 70 pounds on me before we even got to the disparity in boat volumes. Before he made it back into his cockpit, the entire unit of myself and my WW boat had been flipped over his boat. I ended up under his boat and pulled my skirt to get out so no one was damaged. But it was remarkably unsuccessful as a rescue.

#29

@Rex said:
No no no. I haven’t missed any points. I’m not saying a paddler shouldn’t know how to assist in a rescue. I’m saying this… the vast majority of pool time or practice time should be devoted to making yourself never in need of rescue. The whole spirit of paddling IMHO is independence. You don’t depend on Evinrude or Exxon to get from here to there. Do your best to keep rescuers from having to get you from water to boat.

I’ll say it again. If no one’s around to do rescues with, don’t mess around with an empty boat. Spend the time making yourself safe and independent.

Rex, Celia,

You are both right, just a bit not seeing (or acknowledging) each other’s point.

Rex is correct that the safest paddler is one who can take care of themselves. Who’s complement of skills more than meets the conditions at hand and can be there to lend aid to others.

Celia is correct that not all paddlers want (or think they need) to learn more advanced skills than they need for the water they tend to paddle. No matter how mistaken the attitude is, we all know it exists. Also consider that everyone was a novice at one time and novice paddlers will not have the self-survival skills when conditions change. They may lack the judgement skills needed to recognize when conditions are beyond their skills.

Each group paddle is, and must be, a group with mixed skills and experience. They may all be excellent, but there is generally one that everyone looks to when things go south. What is critical is that the judgement and paddling skills of the leaders is up to the task of keeping the group, as composed, safe.

Nobody should HAVE to leave the boat and force others to rescue them, but stuff happens. I’ve seen experienced paddlers capsize due to changing conditions, actions of nearby boaters (saw a kayak run over by a jetski once - the paddler turned turtle and dove for the bottom - correct move that may have saved his life, but it required a rescue).

No matter how skilled you are, nature, injury, or the idiocy of others may force a capsize requiring rescue by others. Ensuring that those with whom one paddles have the necessary skills is important and a part of the pre-paddle check I make when I lead a group.

To sum up, self-sufficiency is a wonderful, and essential, element of paddling. Some will never get there, or through aging, have lost some of that ability. You may choose to not partner with those, and that is fine. The reality is that some group paddles result in wet exits and rescues like this can be necessary.

As far as the video goes, the rescue technique is not news to me. This is what I learned years ago and still (with minor variation) use for recovery. I liked how well it was explained and the video of the rescues was filmed with generally higher quality than most such.

Rick

#30

@Rookie said:
In the Schumann article, he writes: “When you slide their kayak back into the water, spin your kayak parallel to it, forming a raft.” Am guessing he means spinning your kayak while using the drained boat as leverage. Can’t be with a paddle as you’d lose contact with the other boat. My recollection in class was moving the other boat in position using its deck lines.

I think on whose boat is moving is kind of based on the situation. You are using leverage between boats (so pulling on deck lines) to get the boats to move relative to each other, so not adjusting using paddle strokes. If the swimmer is in the water holding the boat that was drained, then the rescuers boat will mostly do the moving (the swimmer is like an anchor on the boat they are holding). If the swimmer is holding the rescuer’s boat, then the rescuee’s boat will do most of the moving. The swimmer should always be holding one boat or the other, and that is the boat that will move less.

Have you ever considered resurrecting your magazine in an online version? It’s a wonderful resource.

Yeah, but then better judgement kicks in…